


Cuddling Prompts 24. Between Strangers

by amethyst-noir (Arbonne)



Series: Cuddling Prompts [24]
Category: Doctor Strange (2016), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Aftermath of Torture, Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie) Spoilers, Hurt Stephen Strange, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Missing Scene, Platonic Cuddling, Pre-Relationship, Tony Stark Has A Heart
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-24
Updated: 2019-11-24
Packaged: 2021-02-27 02:00:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,519
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21549679
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Arbonne/pseuds/amethyst-noir
Summary: After their "discussion" Peter asks about Stephen. Tony decides to go and find the wizard - only to find a barely awake, very hurt man. Things escalate rather quickly from then on.
Relationships: Tony Stark/Stephen Strange
Series: Cuddling Prompts [24]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1533584
Comments: 33
Kudos: 239





	Cuddling Prompts 24. Between Strangers

**Author's Note:**

> Another new one! Peter joining in the cuddling happened thanks to [Leonette_sarasz](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Leonette_sarasz) who asked me if I could include him in one of the cuddling prompts. This was the perfect one.
> 
> It's early stages but at least Tony begins to realize that Stephen has the potential to become way more than some annoying, casual accquaintance. Stephen's too out of it yet but we all know that he'll have is own revelation soon enough...

Tony was speaking before he even laid eyes on the wizard.

"Hey, Strange. Pete said that you're not feeling well but we need you in fighting shape so what do you need?" His speech came to an abrupt halt when he actually _saw_ the guy.

At first glance he looked rather well, considering he'd been tortured and almost blown to space. At the second he looked like a mess. Fuck, was that _blood_ on his face? Or just a shadow on his cheekbone?

"You look like hell."

"Thanks, I feel like it too." Strange's voice was quiet and he looked as if speaking hurt.

Concern took over annoyance and Tony crouched down in front of him. "Hey," he tried again - this time much gentler. _What's wrong?_ he wanted to ask but he could guess the answer to that one. Vividly. Those needles had been horrifying and the thought of Strange being tortured with them didn't sit well with Tony. "How can I help?"

Strange just looked at him for a long moment until his cape gently caressed his face and forced his head towards Tony. "A new body?" he finally offered, barely able to keep his eyes open. "Or at least a new nervous system that's not sending random pain signals to my brain?" The few words obviously exhausted him because by the time he was finished speaking his eyes were closed and Tony barely was able to catch his head before it crashed against the hull of their brand-new spaceship.

His face was ice-cold. Shock, Tony guessed, and recalculated how the next few hours would go with the only other adult on board out of commission.

"Sorry, can't help you there. Would appreciate one of those myself, actually. Here, let me..." All the snarky arrogance of hours before was gone and Strange allowed Tony to manipulate his body into a more comfortable position. The way the aloof asshole relaxed into his hold told its own story about just how at the end of his endurance Strange was.

'More comfortable' ended being Tony pressed against the cold metal of the hull with Strange cradled in his arms. Up close he could feel each and every tremor - Strange's nervous system still protesting against the abuse it had been put through.

_Torture_ , Tony corrected himself. _The guy's been tortured._

He was an arrogant dick but Tony wouldn't have wished those needles on anyone apart from a very selected group and Strange was lightyears away from the likes of Stane, Aldritch and the nameless big bad behind the scenes who had finally been named Thanos just a few short hours ago. Thanos. His nightmare from outer space finally had a name. It shouldn't help but somehow it did.

"Hey," he tried to pitch his voice very low and to sound soothing. "Feeling better? Hey, Strange. Don't move. Just relax and try to gather your strength. You'll need it. Whatever's coming next - it's going to be brutal for all of us." No point in sugar-coating it, Tony didn't think that Strange was the type to need or appreciate it.

Some unintelligible mumbling but he stayed still so Tony counted it as a win. "What?"

"Stephen," Strange murmured. "My name is Stephen."

"Yeah, I know. It was pretty much the first thing you told me, if you remember." Tony gently cradled the back of Strange's head and guided his head to rest on his shoulder. "But I can call you Stephen if you'd like."

"I'd like that. Not many people do." A short pause but not long enough for Tony to formulate a response. "I'm going to meditate to try to repair some of the damage."

Tony didn't like the sound of that. "Damage?"

A near-silent huff that might have been a laugh under better circumstances. "Micro-needles are still needles. And they went into places they shouldn't have."

Fuck, the more Stra… Stephen spoke the less Tony liked the calm resignation in his voice. "Are you trying to tell me that you're internally bleeding out right now?" Because on the outside there was no blood, Tony had checked. It _had_ been a shadow on his face, catching on the odd but still somehow rather attractive angles of his face. _Not right now_ , he told himself. _Think about it later._

Stephen's next word chilled him to the bone. "It's not that bad and I can easily heal myself. I just need a little bit of time." He hesitated for a moment. "It would be nice if you'd stayed with me. Sometimes I have trouble waking up from mediation and company helps. You don't have to, of course, but if you'd just checked in with me in an hour or so…"

Great. The wizard in charge of an Infinity Stone was an insecure mess; the arrogance just a smokescreen. Exactly what he'd needed. A mirror image of himself. Great. As if one of the type wasn't enough. Tony swallowed and made his decision. The ship was on autopilot, Peter would find them sooner rather than later, and there was no way in hell he was letting go of Stephen now. The man felt incredible fragile in his arms and Tony found to his surprise that he didn't want to leave him alone.

"Take all the time you need. Or at least all the time you can get before this ship gets us where we're supposed to be. You know what I mean."

Stephen took a deep breath and it seemed as if he was on the verge of tears. "Thank you," he whispered and tucked his head against Tony's neck.

He was thanking for Tony for not abandoning him to loneliness and pain when staying was the easier option. He barely knew Stephen and the guy was already breaking his heart - but not in the brutal way so many other people had done over the years. No, this was the kind of heartbreak only his family, including Peter, had managed so far. Tony hated it. Better to hurt himself than see any of his people hurting.

He already saw Stephen as his, he realized in that moment. Something in the other man spoke to him, awoke the urge to argue and banter, to hold and protect.

Stephen was still shivering in his arms but he'd already fallen into a trance or whatever and his breathing had evened out. Steady puffs of air hit Tony's neck and the gentle and regular rhythm made something inside of him relax.

"I've got you," he promised the man resting in his arms. "I'll try to keep you safe." It was what he did, after all. Stephen's words from not too long ago - _I will not hesitate to let either of you die_ \- echoed in his mind but somehow he doubted their truth now. No, the man would fight with everything he had to protect others; Tony could see it clearly now.

Minutes later, when Peter came in search of him, Tony directed him to sit down next to Stephen. "He's in shock, let's try to keep him as warm and comfortable as possible," he explained. "And I think he likes human contact."

Peter was too exhausted to do more than follow his plea, sit down and cuddle into Stephen's side. Moments later he was out like a light, leaving Tony alone with Stephen still in his arms.

The slowly and carefully shifted around to put less pressure on his chest. Even deep in meditation Stephen followed his gentle guidance and instinctively found a position that didn't hurt Tony at all. A shaking hand, full of old and gruesome looking scars, came to rest on Tony's thigh and he stared at it for a long time, trying to figure out the story behind it.

He didn't like it, he decided. Stephen's hands were obviously heavily impaired and he was too blasé about being in pain. He wanted to know more, he wanted to know everything. He covered the also ice-cold hand with his own in an attempt to warm Stephen up and to not have to look at the brutal scarring anymore. There was a slight twitch and a soft sigh but apart from that Stephen showed now reaction to the gentle touch.

"Who are you?" he asked quietly, "and why does it feel like I know you?" 

Silence. Just the sound of Stephen's and Peter's breathing.

Tony banished his own exhaustion with the ease of long practice. He needed to stay awake, needed to watch over his two companions. With his free hand he activated the recorder of his suit and began to recount their tale. There must be some sort of record in case they didn't make it home.

He looked first at Peter and then at Stephen, just watching them rest, before he let the scanner run over them to capture a short video of the moment. He let the camera linger before he began to dictate a short recap of what had happened since the moment the ship had left Earth's atmosphere.

Afterwards, he just held on, determined to be there for Stephen when he woke up.

**Author's Note:**

> [@](https://amethyt-noir.tumblr.com/)
> 
> Thank you so much for reading! A month full of cuddling - it should grow stale but I'm still enjoying myself immensely.


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